Green with Self-Love 💚

Several days ago I got the mega bus from Pittsburgh to Philly. The scenery was beyond breathtaking because at the core just fall foliage. I'll have to post pictures of that soon. 

Being back in Philly of course means working out with my amazing if not brutal trainer and dear friend Marjorie. So this means a very specifically tailored meal plan, lots of working out, and waking up at ungodly hours. As I sat down to the specific tea blend she has me drinking I decided to do a daily draw. As always, my beloved Tarot of Vampyers give me a card that completely resonated. 

The aces in this deck are so beautiful and each one is expressed with a specific color. The Ace of Grails uses glowing green which is perfect as it coincides with the color of the heart chakra. And how fitting that I would have one of the cups cards, a card that only uses the color green, jump out as I'm sitting to drink a cup of detox tea that is made from a blend of green herbs  and vegetables including dandelion root. As a woman who is a total foodie, this truly shows the act of self-love that I recognize this to be. As I shuffled I did so with the specific intent of knowing how I can best stay in alignment (as Abraham-Hicks explains it to be).  I will choose to be receptiveto the benefits of making healthier choices. Yesterday I just read something about how drinking your morning tea or coffee can be a form of mindfulness meditation. Every time I drink this tea blend which will be twice a day for the next several days, I will do so in a mindful state. I will set my intention and bless it for the cleansing of mind body and spirit of anything that may be causing me dis-ease. I will drink it with heartfelt gratitude for every person who helped create it and make it accessible to me, from Marjorie's love, sincerity and professional knowledge, and also for myself. For the act of self-love in choosing to consume it. This makes me think of something that one of my favorite YouTube yoga chicks says. She explained that when trying to maintain good posture, imagine leading with your heart. Rounded or hunched over shoulders can indicate that one has a heavy heart. Since I'm on the road I don't have the tools I would really like to assist me with the energy of this card, my rosewater and my green calcite. I think I'll do a short meditation focusing on a pink rose bush and absorb that energy into my heart chakra. 

New Moon in Libra Spread

One thing that SO often prevents me from making regular posts is the effort I put in. It's rooted in this whole "fear of getting it wrong" bullshit that is one of the most self-sabotaging things I do (in a list of many I tell ya lol). Also the fact that I type like a 4 year old lol. So in order to bring more ease as opposed to effort, I will attempt to make shorter posts more often. Let's see how it works out.

Today i am doing a spread that Lisa posted called the Libra Harmony New Moon Spread. Libra is one sign I really don't know much about and have known very few people born under it. So i figured this would help me to understand Libra peeps, the Justice card, and prepare for the new moon on October 12. Hey, it's totally a shout out to Duran Duran. It'll be a New Moon on Monday lol! Every single time I can possibly make that reference I do! I'm using by beloved Tarot of Vampyres. (Has anyone bought this deck recently?? I just purchase a new copy and I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am at the absolutely shitty card stock they are now printed on! Like, I may even actually contact Llewellyn because they should be ashamed!)

As I asses an overall tone of the four cards, I notice that two are associated with cardinal signs and one with mutable. I will have to be mindful of my natural tendency to get all excited and fired up but have shitty follow-through on projects because I get bored or my focus gets scattered. This many earth cards also lets me know that my Capricorn ass is going to have to be more flexible/less stubborn. Wow. Spot. On. This is one reason I adore this deck. The accuracy and depth of the readings it gives me is almost like that of a sentient being, an old friend who knows me well.

1. Sow - Something lacking in my life that I need to bring in for more balance- 4 of Skulls - Order, structure, determination. This is the Sun in Capricorn- power and growth that leads to the growth of tangible results. I love the female vamp's very confident, unaffected posture! Her backs against the wall but she is not pressed in the least bit! And her lovers more assertive, forceful appearance. She wears the Capricorn glyph on her arm, he the Sun's on his very impressive weapon dripping with fresh blood. This pair is an unstoppable force. i wonder if this is someone who will assist me (my cousin Michele quite possibly) or is it two aspects of me?
2. Weed - What is there too much of that's causing imbalance? 2 of Knives - Indecision, stagnation due to feeling so out of balance and overwhelmed by the shit storm I'm in. This is the Moon in Libra. There is too much stress that is preventing me from trusting my intuition. Every problem must have a solution just based on the law of physics. I can remove a lot of the mental sparing in my head by 1. Looking at the things that are stressful with eyes wide open and 2. Shutting off the thoughts in my head by meditation and breathing exercises.
3. Nurture - What I need to use to help card #1 take root - Ace of Scepters - Willpower. Re-newed, raw courage. I don't like to use the word goals. For some reason it makes me think of every single reason why something won't work the want I want it to. So I've replaced it in my vocabulary with desire. That feels much more intriguing, enticing. Possible. It puts my energy in the flow of what it feels like to have that desire as a current reality, not a far off wish blocked by obstacles. I also see this giant cross as a symbol of faith and protection. Of the fires signs in the zodiac: Aries, Leo, and Sag/fired up, determined, optimistic. This card in this position also says to me how important it is for me to do things that are completely NOT related to the tasks that I have to accomplish that are so overwhelming. Because that's how I can prevent from getting burned out. So I must go out, play pool, go to the movies, and enjoy every second of my limited time back in New Orleans!
4. Harvest - What I can expect by the Full Moon - The Hermit IX - mutable sign of Virgo, the number 9 which is completion yet still transition. This card for me is the goddess Hecate as well as the Lwa Papa Legba, both cross-roads spirits. WOW! As I am typing this I just got an email notification pop up on my phone with Hecate in the subject line!! I connected with her around this time last year in the UK. I'll have to do a meditation and candle work hear what she wants me to know, which path she wants me to take at this time. The Hermit for me is also about enlightenment. The need to withdrawn in order to have things crystallize, to hear mySelf as it directs me. I will be better able to set aside alone time dedicated to studying my cards and my course work in my Angelic Tarot class. It also warns me to not over-analyze shit and get stuck (Earth/Virgo). So by the full moon, I should have a lot more self-confidence and wisdom about the choices, the crossroads I am at. I will most likely also need a lot of alone time. Perhaps some shadow work on the other side of the full moon with the help of Hecate.
I also love the fact that the Hermit displays a direct quote from Duran Duran, "I light my torch and wave it for the new moon on Monday!"

Archangel Michael Spiritual Bath - The Sun

I obviously identify myself is a tarot reader, but also as a student at the Tarot as well. So I decided to sign up for Lisa Friedeborg-Eddy's Angelic Tarot class. It's a very in-depth course which teaches the angelic correspondences to each of the 78 tarot cards. It's a lot of memorization however, I'm thoroughly enjoying it and learning a lot. Another great thing about it is that even though it's a 6 weeks course, you go at your own pace. And for the amount of in-depth information she provides, the price is unbelievably reasonable!

So. 

I'm having a problem with a very very nasty family member's husband. He is a real son of a bitch. So I decided to call upon Archangel Michael for assistance by creating a powerful spiritual bath charged with his energy. One thing I Learned after moving back to New Orleans several years ago was a new way of understanding angels. They are NOT always the gentle, docile creatures that we are led to believe or see them as. Can they be? Absolutely! But lest we forget, they are sword wielding warriors who slay demons. So the next time you are about to blow off angelic energy as being all fluffy bunny, remember that and think about what a Soldier is and does. About a combat veteran who was in the trenches at Normandy, or the jungles of Vietnam or Mogadishu, or the deserts of Iraq. Angels ain't no joke! They are ass kicking assassins. With wings.  There's a reason that Angels are referenced and called upon in all Judeo-Christian religions as well as most all  Voodoo religions. Think about that for a second. 

Let me just say, my path is a very eclectic one. There are tons of different ways to make a spiritual bath and to work with AA Michael. Sunday is his sacred day however, unfortunately I didn't think to do it yesterday and today is Monday. But it's not like he's not going to pick up the angel telephone line the other 6 days of the week LOL. This is the way I felt directed to do so. Perhaps you will find it helpful as well. Feel free to make changes or additions as you feel guided to do. There are no precise measurements I used. 

But here's what I used and how I did it. 

7 is my favorite number. It also happens to be a number with very divine energy. So I used 7 ingredients:

Rosemary, sea salt, sage, basil, frankincense, myrrh , and Florida water. 

All of these ingredients are extremely good for removing negativity and cleansing both the physical and energetic body and/or a space. But frankincense in particular is associated with Archangel Michael. *(please note: when I took this picture I had intended on using rosewater. But I felt Michael instruct me to not use it in this bath. As well as remind me that Spirit had guided me last week to use basil in a cleansing bath.)* 

I put all of the ingredients with the exception of the Florida water into a sauce pan that was about 3/4 full of water, brought it to a roaring boil. Then I put the lid on, turned it down to medium low heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Then I turned off the heat and let it all steep for like 20 minutes or so. Again, like I said, no set rules with regard to this with the exception of a very clear and strong intent of cleansing and protection from any and all forms of harmful or negative energy.  I also recited the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the 91st Psalm, all of which are very useful for any work of this kind.

You will end up with a brownish liquid. I used a strainer to separate the herbs from the liquid. I then added the Florida water. I always add it last in anything that I'm heating up because it's alcohol-based and I don't want the essence to evaporate. Also be aware that when you add Florida water to any mixture like this, it's loses its translucency and becomes milky and cloudy. Since Archangel Michael is associated with solar energy, I let the mixture sit in the sunlight for roughly 15 minutes. I prayed for him and the power of sunlight to shed light on any kind of darkness that has ill intent,  to bring healing, positivity empowerment and happiness. 

And fortunately I didn't have any pretty bottles so I had to wash out empty ginger ale pottles from the recycle container LOL. Not posh however, effective. 

I will let the bottles sit overnight with the Sun card from my Bonefire tarot deck propped up against them with the intention of them absorbing the energy of that card, but also because it is the card associated with Archangel Michael. I will use this as a spiritual cleansing bath. I will also add a portion to a spray bottle and do a 50/50 ratio of the bat to alcohol and use it as a missed to cleanse and create sacred space.